Gernika Assembly Hall

The tree of Gernika

The Tree of Gernika is, without any doubt, the most universal symbol of all Basque people.

The tree that provided shelter or shade for the early Assemblies of the Seigniory of Bizkaia has become, in time, the symbol of the permanence of a nation and its institutions against the historical ups and downs that the Basques have experienced in their existence as a community.

The Tree of Gernika has spread beyond the geographical limits of Bizkaia to become a reference point for the whole of Euskalherria.

As a symbol that links our past and our present, it currently witnesses such special events as the taking possession and swearing into office of the Lehendakari (President of the Basque Country) or the Diputado General (Prime Minister of the Territory).

A commemorative plaque remembers the words used in 1936 by José Antonio Agirre, the first Lehendakari of Euskadi, which have become the protocol formula for carrying out this swearing into office.

Humbled before God on foot on Basque soil in memory of our ancestors under the tree of Gernika before you representatives of the people I swear to faithfully carry out my duties.

Though not the first of the Trees of Gernika, the trunk of the "Old Tree", which stands in the garden of the Casa de Juntas (Assembly House), is the remains of the oldest preserved tree.

In 1860, an oak tree was planted to replace the Old Tree and it stood in front of the oath tribune until 2004, when it had to be replaced at the end of its life cycle by another oak in 2005.

A sapling planted on 2 March 2015 continues the lineage of the old oak.

The Tree of Gernika is the central symbol of the coat of arms of Bizkaia.The Tree of Gernika is the central symbol of the coat of arms of Bizkaia.

The Tree of Gernika has conserved the antiquity that makes its lords famous, without tyrants having stripped it, nor its having given shade to confessed criminals nor to traitorsTirso de Molina

Gernikako Arbola da bedeinkatua euskaldunen artean guztiz maitatua. Eman ta zabal zazu munduan frutua adoratzen zaitugu arbola santua. (...)

Gernikako arbola

J.M. Iparagirre, born in Urretxu (Gipuzkoa) in 1820, and so a contemporary of the Carlist Wars, reflects the importance of this symbol in his song "Gernikako Arbola".

The trees of Bizkaia in the fuero

  1. 1. Avellaneda

    The Assemblies of the Encartaciones were held under the oak tree in Avellaneda.

  2. 2. Gerediaga

    In the same way, the Assemblies in the Duranguesado met under the oak tree in Gerediaga.

  3. 3. Aretxabalagana

    The charter established that it was here where the Lord of Biscay would be received before arriving in Guernica.

  4. 4. Gernika

    The oak of Guernica is the heart of the Lord’s domain. Allegiance to the Charter (Fueros) was sworn under its shadow.

  5. 5. Luyando

    The Árbol Malato (Injured Tree) in Luyando marked the legal limit to the power of the Lord.

Mapa arboles de bizkaia
1

Avellaneda

The Assemblies of the Encartaciones were held under the oak tree in Avellaneda.

2

Gerediaga

In the same way, the Assemblies in the Duranguesado met under the oak tree in Gerediaga.

3

Aretxabalagana

The charter established that it was here where the Lord of Biscay would be received before arriving in Guernica.

4

Gernika

The oak of Guernica is the heart of the Lord’s domain. Allegiance to the Charter (Fueros) was sworn under its shadow.

5

Luyando

The Árbol Malato (Injured Tree) in Luyando marked the legal limit to the power of the Lord.